Meuse, << myooz, >> River, flows through France, Belgium, and the Netherlands and into the North Sea. The Meuse rises in the Langres Plateau of eastern France, and flows north past Verdun through the Ardennes highlands. It then flows northeast through Belgium past Namur and Liege. The river then enters the Netherlands, where it is called the Maas. Here, it makes a sweeping curve northwest and empties into the North Sea south of Rotterdam. The river is 575 miles (925 kilometers) long.
Several navigable canals join the Meuse River along its course. Near Toul, France, the Meuse connects with the Marne-Rhine Canal. At Liege, the river is linked with the Albert Canal, which goes to Antwerp. At Maastricht, the river meets the Juliana Canal.
